Alberto Contador at the finish line of stage seven of the Critérium du Dauphiné, taking the lead from Chris Froome. Photograph: Lionel Bonaventure/AFP/Getty

Alberto Contador overtook Chris Froome as the leader of the Critérium du Dauphiné as the Dutchman Lieuwe Westra won stage seven for Astana.

Froome had gone into the stage with a 12-second lead despite a crash on Friday but the Team Sky man was overhauled by a late break from Contador.

With Westra out in front and overtaking the Russian pair Yuriy Trofimov and Egor Silin, who finished the stage second and third for Katusha, Froome and Contador were both in a 10-strong pursuing group clear of the main peloton.

Contador, riding for Tinkoff-Saxo, made his move with two kilometres to go and Team Sky’s Froome was forced to ride flat out to respond.

While the 2013 Tour de France winner limited the damage he could not prevent the Spanish taking an eight-second lead in the overall standings after the finish in Finhaut-Emosson.

The American Andrew Talansky, fifth in the stage with Froome seventh, lies third overall for Garmin-Sharp, with the Dutchman Wilco Kelderman, of Belkin, the only other man within a minute of Contador.